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The region of Gulpha Marma different anatomical structures; one important anatomical structure present here is the tibial nerve (posterior tibial nerve). Percutaneous stimulation of the tibial nerve is used in modern therapeutics for neuromodulation in various complaints of pelvic pain and urinary incontinence. In Gulpha marma therapy, there is possible stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve by the applied pressure, which may then carry out neuromodulation of pain. This is just an idea of how Gulpha marma therapy might work, and extensive research is needed to be carried out to evaluate its effect and possible pathway. KEYWORDS:Gulpha marma, Gulpha Marma therapy.

Blockchain technology has been used in many industries providing security and preventing fraud so it can be beneficial in the medical industry too. One of the most essential blockchain features that can be implemented in the healthcare sector is that by recording every change across the peer-to-peer network, every transaction is validated. Since clinical trials require fast, reliable and transparent ways to locate patient’s data, blockchain could be the possible solution. Effective supply chain management is a challenge in every sector but in healthcare, it comes with added complexity and risk as it is related with the patient’s health and safety. Effective management of the healthcare supply chain (HCSC) process is critical for healthcare providers not only during pandemics such as COVID-19 but also in their normal operations. Despite many advances in new technologies and treatment options, the providers still suffer from poor procurement, ordering, forecasting, and distribution practices. Hence, blockchain can be the potential solution for the security, integrity and functionality of health supply chain.

A field experiment on the influence of different organic sources of nutrients on growth and flowering behaviour of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cv. Bhagwa was conducted at College Farm, College of Horticulture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Jagudan, District-Mehsana in Gujarat, India during Mrig bahar (June-January) 2017-18 and 2018-19. The present investigation was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications consisting of twenty-two treatments with four different organic manures viz., farmyard manure, vermicompost, poultry manure and neem cake as a source of nitrogen and recommended dose of manure and fertilizers based on plant age with or without biofertilizers (Azotobacter, PSB & KMB) and biopesticides (Trichoderma viride and Paecilomyces lilacinus). The results based on pooled data revealed that a maximum number of hermaphrodite flowers (85.17) and incomplete flowers (96.50) up to two months after treatment application, fruit set (69.45 %) along with minimum fruit drop (13.18 %) and days taken for marketable picking (168.83) were significantly (@5%) noted under treatment 100 % RDN through poultry manure + 50 ml PSB + 25 ml KMB + 5 g Trichoderma viride + 5 ml Paecilomyces lilacinus. However, significantly (@5%) highest incremental primary growth parameters viz., plant height (0.60 m), plant spread (E-W: 0.41 m and N-S: 0.43 m) and stem girth (1.47 cm) after two months of treatment application were observed under treatment 100 % RDN through vermicompost + 50 ml PSB + 25 ml KMB + 5 g Trichoderma viride + 5 ml Paecilomyces lilacinus. Thus, the organic sources viz., vermicompost and poultry manure with biofertilizers and biopesticides would be very helpful for enhancing vegetative growth and flowering behaviour of the pomegranate.

Vegetables are grown worldwide and play an important role in human diets because they provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals. Asia produces and consumes more than 70% of the world’s vegetables. Their production and consumption are rising due to increase in consumer’s income. Vegetables are also associated with improvement of gastrointestinal health, good vision, and reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, chronic diseases such as diabetes, and some forms of cancer. The consumption and caloric contribution of vegetables to the diet vary widely with geographical region, nationality, local customs and cuisine. Vegetable production suffers from many biotic stresses caused by pathogens, pests, and weeds and requires high amounts of plant protection products per hectare. US vegetables farmers are benefiting from growing transgenic squash cultivars resistant to Zucchini yellow mosaic virus, Watermelon mosaic virus, and Cucumber mosaic virus, which were deregulated and commercialized since the mid- 1990s. Bt-sweet corn has also proven effective for control of some lepidopteran species and continues to be accepted in the fresh market in the United States, and Btfresh- market hybrids are released each year. Likewise, transgenic Bt-eggplant was bred to reduce pesticide use and hopefully will soon be grown by farmers in Asia. There are other vegetable crops in the pipeline that have been genetically modified to enhance their host plant resistance to insects and plant pathogens (including viruses), to show herbicide tolerance, and to improve features such as slow ripening that extends the shelf-life of the produce, high nutritional status, seedless fruit, and increased sweetness. Transgenic plant breeding therefore provides genetically enhanced seed embedded technology that contributes to integrated pest management in vegetable production by reducing pesticide sprays as well as improving food safety by minimizing pesticide residues. Furthermore, herbicide-tolerant transgenic crops can help reducing plough in fields, thereby saving fuel because of less tractor use, which also protects the structure of the soil by reducing its erosion. Transgenic vegetable crops could make important contributions to sustainable vegetable production in this 21st century. However, countries vary in their market standards of acceptance of transgenic crops. Biotechnology products will be successful if clear advantages and safety are demonstrated to both growers and consumers.

An experiment entitled, influence of different shoot portion and media on vegetative propagation of pomegranate was carried out with two factors viz; shoot portion with three levels and media with seven levels making total twenty one treatment combinations. Experiment was laid out in Factorial Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The results of the present investigation on the basis of pooled data revealed that, minimum days to sprouting (11.33) was recorded with treatment s1 (Apical) whereas, significantly highest length of shoot (9.79 cm), maximum number of roots (8.92) and length of root (8.96 cm) was recorded with treatment s2 (Sub-apical). Among different treatments of media, significantly early sprouting (11.14 days), maximum number of roots per cutting (8.40) and highest length of roots per cutting (8.81 cm) and highest shoot length (9.36 cm) at 60 DAP were observed with treatment m4 (Vermiculite: Poultry Manure [1:1]+ Pseudomonas). Use of sub-apical cutting with Vermiculite: Poultry Manure [1:1]+ Pseudomonas media in plug tray for early sprouting, highest shoot and root parameters of pomegranate under greenhouse condition.

Ancient Ayurvedic literature described 107 vital regions of the body and considered them as a seat of prana (life force) and collectively termed them as marma. The applied aspect of this concept, marma chikitsa or marma therapy, is gaining popularity as it is being practiced by many clinicians in which these marma are stimulated in different ways to treat different diseases. Hypertension is one of the major disorders affecting majority of the world population. Inspite of available antihypertensive therapies, the hypertensive population of not only the older age group, but also of that of young adults is increasing. Blood pressure normalising effect of marma therapy is observed by clinicians practicing marma therapy due to its holistic effect on the body. Clinical data regarding efficacy of this therapy is very sparse and hence, its application in different diseases remained unexplored till date. This case report is of a young hypertensive male whose blood pressure significantly improved with Talahridaya marma therapy. This patient was detected with raised blood pressure on repetitive examinations. The volunteer was subjected to Talahridaya marma therapy where his classical Talahridaya marma point on left upper limb was physically stimulated in controlled way for 10 days and the patient was also taught to perform the therapy on himself. The blood pressure was recorded, both before and after giving the therapy on each day. The volunteer showed significant improvement in his blood pressure recordings.

Limiting starch bioavailability by modifying food matrix dynamics has evolved over the decade, which further envisions low glycemic starch prototypes to tackle chronic hyperglycemia. The dense matrix of whole grain foods like millets and cereals act as a suitable model to understand the dynamics of binary food matrix interactions between starch-lipid, starch-protein & starch-fiber. The state and types of matrix component (lipid/protein/fiber) which interact at various scales alters the starch micro configuration and limits the digestibility, but the mechanism is largely been ignored. Various in-vitro and in-vivo studies have deciphered the varied dimensions of physical interactions through depletion or augmentation studies to correlate towards a natural matrix and its low glycemic nature. The current chapter briefly encompasses the concept of food matrix types and binary interactions in mediating the glycemic amplitude of starch. We comprehensively elaborated and conceptually explained various approaches, which investigated the role of food matrices as complex real food systems or as fundamental approaches to defining the mechanisms. It’s a fact that multiple food matrix interaction studies at a time are difficult but it’s critical to understand the molecular interaction of matrix components to correlate in-vivo processes, which will assist in designing novel food prototypes in the future.

Vildagliptin (VDG)is a frontier drug for diabetes mellitus. It is prescribed both in the monotherapy as well as in an amalgamation with other antidiabetic drugs. Drug-serum protein binding is an essential parameter which influences ADME properties of the drug. In current study, binding of VDG with serum protein (bovine serum albumin: BSA) was investigated using multi-spectroscopic techniques. A computational approach was also employed to identify the binding affinity of VDG with BSA at both Sudlow I and II sites. An enzyme activity assay specific for esterase was also investigated to know the post-binding consequences of VDG with BSA. Fluorescence spectra of BSA samples treated with VDG shows static quenching with binding parameters for VDG-BSA complex show single class of equivalent binding stoichiometry(n = 1.331) and binding constant 1.1 x 104M−1 at 298.15 K. The binding constant indicates important role of non-polar interactions in the binding process. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis of VDG absorption spectra and emission spectrum of BSA confirmed no significant resonance in energy transfer. Synchronous fluorescence of BSA after binding with VDG show maximum changes in emission intensity at tryptophan (Trp) residues. Post binding with VDG, BSA conformation changes as suggested by circular dichorism (CD) spectra of BSA and this lead to enhanced protein stability as indicated by a thermal melting curve of BSA. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

India has made good progress toward meeting basic standards of access to safe drinking water, but improved planning methods are needed to prioritize different levels and types of water service needs for public investment. This paper presents a planning approach for collecting, analyzing, and mapping drinking water service data at the village, block, and district levels in Pune district, Maharashtra, India. The planning approach created a mobile application for data collection by gram sevaks at the village level. It employed ranking methods developed with district officers to prioritize villages with the greatest needs, cluster analysis to distinguish different types of needs, and geographic information system (GIS) mapping to visualize the spatial distribution of those needs. This analysis shows that there are high levels of spatial heterogeneity in water services within, as well as between, blocks but also that there are broad patterns of priorities for planning and policy purposes. These priorities include water service needs in the Western Ghats, a combination of water source and service needs in dissected plateau lands, source strengthening in the eastern plains, and local hot spots in peri-urban areas. Based on this Pune district case study, the Government of Maharashtra is testing the approach in five additional districts.

A 51-kiloton magnetised Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector, using Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) as active detector elements, aims to study atmospheric neutrinos. A prototype - 1/600 of the weight of ICAL, called mini-ICAL was installed in the INO transit campus at Madurai. A modest proof-of-principle cosmic muon veto detector of about 1 m × 1 m × 0.3 m dimensions was setup a few years ago, using scintillator paddles. The measured cosmic muon veto efficiency of 99.98% and simulation studies of muon-induced background events in the ICAL detector surrounded by an efficient veto detector were promising. This led to the idea of constructing a bigger cosmic muon veto around the mini-ICAL detector. Details of the design and construction of the detector including the electronics, trigger and DAQ systems planned will be briefly presented.

India has a long history of policies that aim to improve rural drinking water services, through various combinations of state support and decentralization that face deeply rooted institutional challenges. These include debates about: the duty of the state to provide rural drinking water supply; tension over the role of central, state, and local governments; and frequent changes in policy and senior public officials that disrupt long-term implementation. Some water governance theorists have described policy-making in this context as a pragmatic process of bricolage, that is, of piecing together practical opportunities for improvement where possible. This paper takes a macrohistorical geographic approach to these institutional problems, with an emphasis on northern India. It shows that ancient sources dating back to the Arthashastra have underscored the role of the state in developing water supplies for the people. Subsequent regimes have advocated various combinations of centralized and local responsibility to fulfill drinking water needs. We show that frequent rotation of senior public officials was actually systematized in the sixteenth century Mughal empire. Changing roles of India’s five levels of center, state, district, block, and village government have a half-millennium-long history, evolving through the dramatically different Mughal, Maratha, colonial, and post-colonial contexts. Devolution policies were frequently changed in the colonial period. Independence in 1947 and a constitutional amendment in 1993 increased emphasis on devolution to Panchayati Raj Institutions at district, block, and village levels, but without resolving the functional and structural relations among them. This macrohistorical geographic perspective on water institutions offers insights into current issues and prospects for drinking water reform in India.

Quality education and schools have a key role to play in the sustainable development of society. Unfortunately, many remote communities in developing countries fail to enjoy access to quality education due to a lack of electricity, thereby interrupting regular school services in the villages. The main objective of the paper contributes to understanding the importance of the energy-education accord, and aims to curb the social challenges prevailing in the villages. Specifically, the paper suggests a technical intervention by designing a hybrid renewable energy system for such schools. The approach is demonstrated through a case study with a load demand of approximately 4 kWh/d, comprising a class size of 40 students. A techno-economic evaluation of the energy system reveals the levelized cost of energy of the system at USD 0.22 per kWh, which may be affordable considering number of other aspects, outlined in this paper, to enable a larger uptake of such systems in developing countries. ©2019. CBIORE-IJRED. All rights reserved

Epidermal cysts are common skin lesions. They are usually seen in the chronic sun-exposed areas of the skin. They can get complicated by inflammation, infection, rupture, or malignancy. Epidermal cyst in the perineal region is rare. We report a case of an infected ruptured perineal epidermal cyst mimicking gluteal abscess. The patient was successfully treated by complete surgical excision. Histology revealed epidermal cyst with foreign body giant cell reaction and no evidence of malignancy.

Oxy-combustion is one of the most prominent solutions for reducing CO2 emissions from coal- fired power plants using carbon-capture-and- utilization technology. However, when compared to air combustion at atmospheric pressure, oxy- combustion is very expensive, owing to the significant efficiency penalties associated with air separation, flue gas recirculation (FGR), treatment, compression, and storage or transit of CO2. In comparison, pressurized oxy-combustion (POC) is more efficient as it recovers a significant amount of heat energy from the flue gas moistures. Nevertheless, CO2 derived from pressurized oxy coal combustion has impurities, e.g., acid gases (NOX and SOX) that can corrode the plant equipment, transport lines as well as deteriorating effect on the environment. Fortunately, in pressurized combustion systems, both NOX and SOX can be scrubbed by a single- column direct contact cooler (DCC), but this requires a minimum ratio of NOX to SOX at the inlet to be efficiently removed. Therefore, NOx is one of the important hindering parameters in commercializing the pressurized oxy-combustion. Although NOx evolution during oxy-coal combustion has been explored extensively at 1 atm, higher pressure studies are rare. Much still needs to be done to better understand the NOX mechanism and the effects of different parameters on NOX emissions under these conditions. This paper reviews the published literature on nitrogen evolution, NOX formation and reduction in pressurized oxy-coal combustion. At higher pressures, the NOX from fuel-bound nitrogen is generated through volatiles, tar and char, all of which are discussed. Where literature is not available, the effect of pressure on NOx evolution in different stages of coal combustion is predicted through CHEMKIN simulation. Homogeneous and heterogeneous pathways of NOX formation and their destruction in pressurized oxy-coal combustion are evaluated. Additionally, the effect of pressure on a few mature and commercialized NOx abatement methods is explored. In the last, the future perspective and recommendation are given. This review will aid in the provision of basic knowledge about NOx evolution and control in pressurized fuel combustion, as well as the identification of new research areas to pursue.

The relevance of energy efficiency policy measures for renewable-rich countries could be different from those countries that have a limited share of renewables in their electricity generation mix, and are therefore likely to focus on low-carbon energy generation policies. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the energy efficiency initiatives of the three highest renewable-rich OECD countries, namely: Iceland, Norway and New Zealand. The paper then focuses on a comprehensive review of New Zealand's energy efficiency policies since a formal “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act” came into force. This paper then highlights the future challenges for New Zealand and offers some policy recommendations, which may also be applicable for other renewable-rich countries.

Sulphur mustard is a lethal chemical warfare agent, known for its vesicant or blistering action on skin and mucous membrane. 2-chloroethylphenyl sulphide (CEPS) is a simulant of sulphur mustard. In the present study, the binding interaction of CEPS with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated to determine its binding potential with skin proteins. The binding interactions studies were performed using UV–Vis absorbance, steady-state fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, circular dichroism techniques. It is observed in UV–Vis absorption study, absorbance of BSA at 280 nm increases with a slight blue shift in the presence of CEPS indicated a complex formation between CEPS and BSA. Fluorescence quenching of emission intensity of BSA in the presence of CEPS indicated change in the microenvironment of fluorophores (Tryptophan residues). Stern-Volmer plot showed an inverse relationship between quenching (Ksv) and temperature. Thus, the quenching is operative via static quenching. The binding parameters suggested the role of non-covalent interactions and involvement of single set of equivalent binding sites. Change in thermodynamic parameters suggested that the binding is essentially enthalpy driven and spontaneous in nature. A synchronous fluorescence of BSA spectra in the presence of CEPS causes maximum change around the microenvironment of Tryptophan residues than Tyrosine residues. The intermolecular distance between the donor (BSA) and acceptor (CEPS) molecule was 3.5 nm as calculated from FRET analysis and indicated no significant transfer of energy between donor and acceptor. CD spectrum confirmed the changes in secondary structure of BSA upon binding with CEPS. The esterase enzyme activity of BSA in presence of CEPS showed a decrease in enzyme activity. The binding interactions were modeled in binding pockets using molecular docking calculations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and rank the contextual relationship among the quality management (QM) constructs for manufacturing and its related service organizations providing integrated value bundles, which has got limited research attention. Design/methodology/approach The QM constructs of manufacturing and services are selected by performing the citation analysis. Studies related to manufacturing and service are selected by reviewing their citations index in the three major research databases namely ProQuest, Scopus and Google Scholar. The subjective responses from both industry and academia are taken in order to gain better understanding of the contextual relationship among the QM constructs. Finally, an integrated model is proposed using Micmac analysis and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). Findings The citation analysis lead to identification of 12 QM constructs: top management commitment, supplier relationship management, human resource management, strategic focus, customer focus, quality of information sharing, process management, servicescape, employee involvement, service quality, supply chain flexibility and customer satisfaction. The expert opinions of executives in the automotive industry and academia resulted in the development of contextual relationships among the identified QM constructs for the development of an ISM model, which is a major contribution of this study. Originality/value The unique focus of this study is on analyzing the contextual relationship among QM aspects in manufacturing and services as clubbed offering. The researchers in the existing literature have so far differentiated between manufacturing and services but this study integrates the QM constructs for manufacturing and its associated services through expert feedback and proposes an ISM model.

1. Digitalization is an emerging trend revamping the energy landscape and enabling progress toward continuous energy efficiency improvements. It is argued that digitalization, from its various dimensions, shall be considered as part of policy development to ensure overall net benefit to the system and its participants.72. In its Work Plan for 2020-2021, the Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency (the Group of Experts) was therefore mandated to “explore the role of digitalization and increased use of big data and geo-spatial data in provision of energy services”.83. This discussion paper is prepared with respect to this activity. It examines the role of digitalization and how it can help improve the efficiency of the overall energy system, and aims to provide a clear, concise and balanced view to policymakers and other stakeholders. It presents some sectoral opportunities along with privacy and security risks and touches upon such aspects as data ownership, hosting, and management issues that have significant potential to optimize the overall energy infrastructure. The paper also briefly highlights the potential impact that digitalization of energy system may have on the economy and society, especially in terms of jobs and skills and why reskilling and upskilling will be critical for a sustainable energy future.4. The aim of this paper is to call on inclusion of a discussion on exploring the benefits and obstacles of digitalizing the energy system in the scope of future deliberations of the Committee on Sustainable Energy, as well as to propose considering establishment of a dedicated Task Force under the auspices of the Group of Experts, to lead the related activities.

Blockchain technology is ready to disrupt nearly every industry and business model, and the energy sector is no exception. Energy businesses across the world have already started exploring the use of blockchain technology in large-scale energy trading systems, peer-to-peer energy trading, project financing, supply chain tracking, and asset management among other applications. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) recently started revolutionizing the energy landscape, and now blockchain technology is providing an additional opportunity to make the energy system more intelligent, efficient, transparent, and secure in the longer term. The idea of this paper is to examine more closely the use of blockchain technology for its possible application in the energy efficiency industry and to determine how it could make energy efficiency markets more secure and transparent in the longer term. This paper examines in detail the key benefits and implications of using blockchain in the energy efficiency sector through the presentation and discussion of two case studies as possible blockchain applications-(i) the UK Energy Company Obligation scheme and (ii) the Italian White Certificate Scheme. We have presented how the key issues around trading energy efficiency savings-correctly estimating the savings, data transparency among stakeholders, and inefficient administrative processes-can be solved through the application of a blockchain-based smart contract system. Finally, this paper presents an implementation of a smart contract for trading of energy-saving certificates achieved via execution of smart contract transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. This research is supported by the Employment Based Postgraduate Program of the Irish Research Council (IRC) and partially funded under the SFI Strategic Partnership Program by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and FotoNation Ltd. (Xperi Corporation) Project ID: 13/SPP/I2868 on Next Generation Imaging for Smartphone and Embedded Platforms." Authors would also like to thank the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Enviorment for the funding support to IERC to carry out this research. peer-reviewed

To attain the purity standard for carbon sequestration, SOx and NOx must be removed from the flue gas of pressurized oxy-combustion of coal. Studies suggest that at high pressure SOx and NOx can be simultaneously removed in a single column, with water as the working fluid. Additionally, in pressurized oxy-combustion the moisture in the flue gas can be recovered at high temperature. However, to date, experimental investigations in pressurized oxy-combustion environments have been largely limited to laboratory scale and room temperature. This work demonstrates the operation and parametric testing of an experimental pilot-scale direct contact column with a diameter and packing height of 0.2 m and a 2.3 m, respectively, over a temperature range from 24 to 202 °C, O2 concentration from 1 to 4% v/v, and S/N ratio from 0 to 2. Additionally, a model of the direct contact column is developed and simulated in Aspen Plus to complement and interpret the experimental results. The study reveals that NO oxidation is the controlling reaction in the overall scrubbing of SOx and NOx at gas temperatures up to 200 °C. The NOx scrubbing efficiency depends on residence time in the column, with higher than 90% removal at a residence time of 120 s. Oxygen concentration has little effect above a concentration of 1% v/v. At high temperature, the total NOx scrubbing efficiency is reduced by approximately 10%, as compared to room temperature. SOx removal is higher than 93% under all conditions. Scrubbing efficiency at different S/N ratios demonstrate the importance of NOx in sulfur scrubbing and confirm that a low NOx concentration in the flue gas can lead to a significant reduction in SOx scrubbing.

Pressurized oxy-combustion is a promising technology for low-carbon, fossil fuel utilization. It has the potential of improved efficiency and economics compared with conventional atmospheric pressure oxy-combustion. Washington University in St. Louis has proposed a new pressurized oxy-combustion process, namely Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion, which has the potential to improve further the plant efficiency, operational flexibility, and economics. This process burns pulverized coal in a pressurized, oxy-combustion environment, which has not been demonstrated in a pilot-scale system before. To address this gap, a 100 kWth pressurized oxy-combustion facility was designed and constructed. This facility has a unique burner and furnace design featuring a co-axial, low-mixing flow field, which is drastically different from conventional coal-fired boiler designs where strong mixing is sought by introducing swirl or recirculating flows. This work aims to present the first pilot-scale experimental results of a dry-feed, pressurized oxy-combustion system. The tests focused on exploring flame stability and shape, char burnout, and fine particulate matter formation. Testing results suggest that the burner has excellent flame stability. The flame shape is consistent with the design philosophy and agrees with large eddy simulations. Importantly, complete char combustion can be achieved with an oxygen mole fraction in the flue gas of only 0.8%, as opposed to a required value of ~3% for conventional atmospheric pressure air-fired or oxyfuel combustion, which reduces the costs of both oxygen generation upstream and oxygen removal downstream. The testing results show promise for dry-feed, pressurized oxy-combustion, and the new burner and furnace design.

The purpose of this paper is to examine and assess the determinants of cloud computing adoption by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an Indian context through an integrated research framework. A questionnaire based survey method was used to collect data from 271 SMEs from the northern region of India. An integrated model founded on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) and Technology-OrganizationEnvironment (TOE) was proposed to test ten hypotheses through a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The analysis reveals that relative advantage, security concerns, top management support, external pressure and service providers’ support are the significant factors which influence intention to adopt cloud computing by SMEs in India. The integrated research framework used and validated in this study is intended to enhance the predictive power of the ensuing model. The empirically validated research model and the instrument used for data collection can be adopted in other similar studies. The findings of this study can be useful for consumers, practitioners, and policy makers who are involved in utilizing, spreading and promoting the adoption of cloud computing among organizations, especially the SMEs.

Context: Introduction of competency-based medical education in India has necessitated a diversion from traditional methods of teaching and assessment. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) as a tool for formative assessment of postgraduates in psychiatry at our institute. Settings and Design: It was a prospective, quasi-experimental study carried out in the Department of Psychiatry, PGIMS, Rohtak (India). Materials and Methods: After obtaining written informed consent, trainees (18) were sensitized and faculty members (5) were trained to use mini-CEX and regarding the feedback process with the help of workshops. Statistical Analysis Used: Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Mean differences between the sessions were assessed using a paired sample t-test. P < 0.05 was considered as level of significance. Results: Statistically significant difference was found between session 1 and session 6 for counseling skills but not for three sessions of diagnostic skills. Mini-CEX was accepted as a better learning method by 61% of the postgraduates, 36% felt that it improved their clinical skills, 64% reported a boost in their confidence, and 89% looked forward to these encounters. Majority of the postgraduates and faculty members suggested that the mini-CEX should be regularly used in academic settings and should be introduced early in the training. Conclusions: Mini-CEX is a feasible formative assessment tool for postgraduates in psychiatry and an effective method of learning by the postgraduates, inducing a significant improvement in the counseling skills of students. Teaching faculty also accepted mini-CEX as an effective method of formative assessment.

Oxy-combustion typically consists of burning coal with a combination of oxygen and a large amount of recycled flue gas (60–70%) to obtain a similar heat flux profile to that of air-fired systems. As the cost of electricity from first-generation oxy-combustion is relatively high, several new oxy-combustion process concepts have been proposed in recent years, and within these, the proposed amount of flue gas recycle (FGR) has varied from near-zero to 80%. To better understand the fundamental impact of FGR on the efficiency of oxy-combustion systems, a thermodynamic approach is used herein. Second-law losses associated with flue gas recycle are found to be significant and highly non-linear with recycle ratio. A difference in efficiency of up to 10 %-points can be realized, with a maximum efficiency occurring at zero FGR. Furthermore, due to the non-linear relation of plant efficiency with recycle ratio, processes with low recycle ( Due to the recent interest in developing pressurized oxy-combustion (POC) for efficient, low-cost carbon capture, the impact of flue gas recycle on POC systems is also presented, with a discussion on the valorization strategies for the latent heat of flue gas moisture recovery.

A 5-step mechanism and a corresponding kinetic model are presented for integrated flue gas purification, where SOx and NOx are removed during pressurized oxy-coal combustion. Three coupled subsystems (‘blocks”) of gas–liquid transformations are considered: 1) oxidation of NO to NO2 and dissolution of NO2 in water; 2) dissolution of SO2 in the water; and 3) interactions between S- and N- containing substances in the liquid phase. The model has been formulated in terms of only species that can be experimentally measured (model of optimal complexity). Subsystem I is limiting regarding NO removal. Subsystem II is very fast in comparison with the other subsystems and can be treated separately. Analytical expressions for all independent subsystems have been found and compared with computational results for the whole system. The temporal domain of validity of all these subsystems is presented. Finally, the validity of the NO2 quasi-steady-state assumption is verified, and it is reported that variables such as NO, NO2 and HNO3 can be considered decoupled from the whole system since they appear in only Subsystem I, while HSO3− and HNO2 are coupled. The presented kinetic model was verified experimentally by determining the 1:1 ratio of HNO2 and HNO3, in gas–liquid NO-O2 interaction. Additionally, new experimental facts on kinetic orders and stoichiometry between HNO2 and HSO3− have been used to optimize the model. It is concluded that all NOx- SOx interactions can be essentially grasped by a sequence of only 4 irreversible reactions considering, in addition, the 5th reaction, i.e. the fast ‘SO2-water’ equilibrium.

Polycystic disease of the pancreas is a rare disease most often seen in association with polycystic kidney disease and Von Hippel Lindau syndrome. It is characterized by the presence of single or multiple simple congenital cysts in the pancreatic parenchyma secondary to developmental defects. These cysts are benign in nature and do not communicate with the main pancreatic duct. We report a case of an elderly male with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease incidentally detected to have multiple simple pancreatic cysts.

The experiment was carried out to study the effect of organic nutrient management on growth and flowering of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L) cv GMM 3 during summer 2017 at College of Horticulture (SDAU), Jagudan, Gujarat. Nine levels of organic nutrients were tested in the randomized block design with three replications. Treatments were evaluated on the basis of growth and flowering characteristics of muskmelon. Application of organic nutrients significantly affected growth and flowering parameters. Maximum vine length at 30 and 60 DAS, number of branches per plant, leaf area at 45 DAS, days taken to flower initiation, number of male and female flowers per plant, sex ratio and per cent fruit set were recorded with treatment 50 per cent N from FYM + 50 per cent N from poultry manure + biofertilizer [Azospirillium + phosphorus solubilizing bacteria (PSB) + KSM] + Trichoderma viride + neem oil.

The controlled insertion of artificial nanostructures into biological cells has been utilized for patch clamping, targeted drug delivery, cell lysing, and cell mechanics measurements. In this work, an elastic continuum model is implemented to treat the deformation of spherical cells in solution due to their interaction with cylindrical probes. At small deformations, the force varies nonlinearly with indentation due to global deformation of the cell shape. However, at large indentations, the force varies linearly with indentation due to more localized deformations. These trends are consistent with experimental measurements under comparable conditions and can be used to develop design rules for optimizing probe-cell interactions.